Money is what makes the world go round. The world of athletics is no exception.
As sports have reached the modern era, they’ve become more of a business in addition to a game. Think about it — all of the transactions that occur between draft picks, trades, contract negotiations, state-of-the-art facilities and record-breaking salaries — all of that has become an integral part of the professional sports atmosphere.
Another way money plays into the National Hockey League specifically? The paychecks of those who get to hoist the Stanley Cup Trophy.
According to sportingnews.com, the Stanley Cup Champions will receive around $3,750,000, while the team that loses in the final will take home a check of approximately $2,250,000 based on Article 28 of the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
What better time to take a deep dive into the NHL Stanley Cup prize money than now, less than three days before the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers begin the final series of the season?
How Much Do Players Get Paid in the Playoffs?
Another interesting point to remember when watching the postseason is that NHL players are no longer paid their salaries come the playoffs, even though contracts are paid from July 1 to June 30.
According to thehockeywriters.com, only players on entry-level contracts and those over the age of 35 are permitted to have bonuses for playoff performances.
However the previously mentioned playoff bonus pool is still present.
THE BRACKET IS SET! 🔒
Who do YOU have winning it all?
The #StanleyCup Playoffs begin Saturday, April 20th! pic.twitter.com/kz2lKc5lB4
— NHL (@NHL) April 19, 2024
The size of this prize pool generally increases every third season. In 2012-13 and 2013-14, the playoff bonus pool was $13 million. But as league revenues have increased in accordance with the rise in the NHL’s popularity and more money from the economy going into the professional sports world, the bonus pool has also grown.
Here’s a look at what the CBA has allotted to the playoff fund in recent years:
- 2020-21: $20 million
- 2021-22: $20 million
- 2022-23: $21 million
- 2023-24: $22 million
- 2024-25: $23 million
- 2025-26: $24 million
In 2024, each of the 23 players on the Stanley Cup Final losers received approximately $164,000. Each champion received around $284,000.
All other information aside — here’s what counts. Of the major men’s professional sports – baseball, football, basketball and hockey – NHL champions unfortunately earn the smallest payout. Major League Baseball and the National Football League lead all sports in postseason payouts, with amounts in the hundreds of millions.
On the bright side for fans, this year’s tickets to attend the Stanley Cup Final can be as low as $518, where as last year’s World Series did not see any tickets lower than $700.
But, you can’t really put a price tag on having your name forever memorialized on a championship trophy. Ask any player in the league, and odds are they will tell you that having one’s name engraved on the Stanley Cup and earning the corresponding championship ring is priceless.
